Rusted Out 1970 850 Spider Fix-Up

Yes it is. I find it amazing. And thank you!

I am just waiting till you get tired of driving it, you know... way back about 10 replies into this massive thread you said:
My goal is to be able to drive it at least once.
:D:p

Wonderful work Daniel. You are an inspiration. Not for me of course, but for someone that isn't as lazy as me. I am in year 8 or 9 of my 78X rebuild. :(
 
I am just waiting till you get tired of driving it, you know... way back about 10 replies into this massive thread you said:
:D:p

Wonderful work Daniel. You are an inspiration. Not for me of course, but for someone that isn't as lazy as me. I am in year 8 or 9 of my 78X rebuild. :(
Ha! I still mean it. The first drive should be exciting...especially the first pothole!

Yeah, my constant blah blah blah about this car has kinda become a mega-thread. I appreciate y'all who have followed this whole thing so far.
 
Daniel, you're letting us enjoy the process without doing it ourselves; thank you for being so diligent, both in the job and the posting!
It's always nice to see a cast off or set aside car come back to life!
 
Fuel gauge working! Low fuel light working! Temp gauge working! I am now fighting with the trim that goes on the top cover.

These are broken and look terrible. I think I have a plan...
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I am going to have to deal with this console sooner or later. Yuck.
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Re-dyed one of the seats today. Left the other "as-is" for the before and after wow factor.
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Grill-thing on hood installed - CHECK! Decklid latch installed - CHECK!
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Going to go look at floor coverings now.
 
Ok, I could not resist one more post tonight. First piece of floor covering cut! I bought a large floor mat at Lowes, made a template out of cardboard, and cut away! 30 bucks for the mat, and there should be enough to do what I need.
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Here are some pics showing the flooring done on the passenger side. I used headliner material on the fender well. If it fails, easily replaced. I am liking how this mat is looking. I tossed the seat in there just to show how it will all look. Oh, and the mat is cut on the driver side. Time to finish it off! And the piece that goes on the back of the tunnel.
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So nice not looking at the floor anymore. Getting closer!
 
Ok...wheel well cover put on, and drivers side floor mat in! Almost like instant gratification! Next steps..redo the console!

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Time to tackle the console! And now a step-by-step in how to take a completely roached out console, and make it presentable.

So here it is...ain't she sweet?
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Let us flip it over. First time I have really looked it closely. Most of the time I have just been moving it from spot to spot. Rotted cardboard and vinyl that has turned to brittle plastic.
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Three of the nuts and bolts are all that is still holding on the side pieces. They are all rusted and will have to be cut off. I will have to be careful not to melt the plastic.
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All apart! My dad used to manufacture this type of plastic. Think it is ABS. It is so dirty.
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Ok, the console is cleaned up, but it still looks puny. I still have some tan paint left over from redoing my daughter's Pacer, so off to paint for it. This slightly less rotted piece of cardboard will be my template for new pieces.
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Some left-over luan board, my jigsaw and 5 minutes, and we have side panels!
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Needs one more coat of paint, and it is looking good! Got the foam down on the side panels, and that is it for the night!
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Ok, not too much time to work on it tonight, but here is part 2 of the console repair. Holes have been drilled, and vinyl cut. The Italians were pretty clever on these...the top part has to be be glued down first, and then these bolsters are attached to the plastic console. Then you have to attach the rest of the vinyl.

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Here is the top part of the bolster gluing down. This will be the visible part on the console.
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And here is the repaired plastic piece. The nearest piece of the console had fallen off. I found it in the car. I had no idea what it did.
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I will try to wrap up the console tomorrow!
 
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